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LTA1C - The Struggle for Identity in Modern Literature?

I'm really struggling with the Section A part of this exam, where we're given an unseen extract and have to analyse the writer's thoughts and feelings with regards to the struggle for modern identity. Does anyone have any advice on how to structure the answer?

Any help at all will be very appreciated!

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Are you sitting the exam on the 16th of may? I'm having the same problem :frown:
Are you studying World's Wife?
Reply 2
Yes to both of those questions. :smile:

I'm not finding The World's Wife too difficult, although it really depends on the question.

I'm trying to write an essay based on one of the previous questions for Section A, but it's not going too well. I'll just hand it in to my teacher and see if I can get any advice to see where I'm going wrong.

What wider reading have you done?
is this still active? how were the results!!
Reply 4
I got 115/120 in the exam and 64/80 in the coursework, so I came out with a strong A. :smile: How did you do?
Reply 5
Ah, that sucks. I'm sure you'll do better on the re-sit. How did you do in the coursework?

Hmm, I'm not sure what advice to give, really. I just made sure I knew all the Assessment Objectives inside-out, did as many practice essays as possible, did a lot of wider reading, and made sure I was familiar with The World's Wife. But really I just had a lot of passion for the subject, so I put a lot of work into it.

Make sure that, for Section A, you focus on AO4 -- context: how the time of the extract's publication/conception affects its thoughts and feelings with regards to the 'struggle for identity', and then explain whyreaders at the time would respond differently to readers now. Do the same for wider reading. You also focus on AO2 -- how form, structure and language shape meaning. For example: 'In The Woman Who Walked Into Doors, Doyle uses a non-linear structure [provide evidence], showing the fragmentation of Paula's mind and life.'

For Section B, AO1, AO2 and AO3 are all equally important, and AO4 gives no marks. So you need to focus on terminology and your written style (AO1 -- basically how you write), language structure and form (AO2), and make comparisons to other poems and give alternative interpretations (AO3).

Good luck :smile:
Reply 6
You must have got 33 raw marks out of a total of 60. So maybe 10/20 in one and 23/13 in the other?

If you need anymore help with this topic, just post in this thread and I'll try and help. :smile:
My teacher lied to me. Damn. I just don't know where my head is. I don't want to continue with the A2 tbh.
Are you doing The Millers Tale?
Reply 8
Original post by Patrick04
Ah, that sucks. I'm sure you'll do better on the re-sit. How did you do in the coursework?

Hmm, I'm not sure what advice to give, really. I just made sure I knew all the Assessment Objectives inside-out, did as many practice essays as possible, did a lot of wider reading, and made sure I was familiar with The World's Wife. But really I just had a lot of passion for the subject, so I put a lot of work into it.

Make sure that, for Section A, you focus on AO4 -- context: how the time of the extract's publication/conception affects its thoughts and feelings with regards to the 'struggle for identity', and then explain whyreaders at the time would respond differently to readers now. Do the same for wider reading. You also focus on AO2 -- how form, structure and language shape meaning. For example: 'In The Woman Who Walked Into Doors, Doyle uses a non-linear structure [provide evidence], showing the fragmentation of Paula's mind and life.'

For Section B, AO1, AO2 and AO3 are all equally important, and AO4 gives no marks. So you need to focus on terminology and your written style (AO1 -- basically how you write), language structure and form (AO2), and make comparisons to other poems and give alternative interpretations (AO3).

Good luck :smile:


Where can I find details about the AOs?
Reply 9
Original post by JonnyTic
Where can I find details about the AOs?


They're on AQA's website, under the A-Level English Literature A specification. :smile:
Reply 10
I got my script back and my teacher said my extract analysis is really good, but its the links between the extract and wider reading that is significantly letting me down. I'm trying to make like forced similarities that end up very vague.

Anyone got an idea how to resolve this?
Original post by JackJack
I got my script back and my teacher said my extract analysis is really good, but its the links between the extract and wider reading that is significantly letting me down. I'm trying to make like forced similarities that end up very vague.

Anyone got an idea how to resolve this?


You have to do a lot of wider reading, I had Top Girls (Gender Struggle, Expectations of Society), The Color Purple (Gender Struggle, Racial Struggle, Sexual(ity) Struggle) (C/W text but still usable), A Streetcar Named Desire (Insecurity Struggle, Inability to let go of the past) and Things Fall Apart (Identity Fading Struggle). You should also cover both Prose and Drama as well if you don't already do this.

Protip: Make notes in the actual book and on peices of paper where struggle is most evident, note down what type of struggle as well and note down the quote(s) that show this and memorise them as best as you can. Also I tackled the Assessment Objective in order an 'sprinkled' Context wherever I felt it fit.
Reply 12
Original post by King James
You have to do a lot of wider reading, I had Top Girls (Gender Struggle, Expectations of Society), The Color Purple (Gender Struggle, Racial Struggle, Sexual(ity) Struggle) (C/W text but still usable), A Streetcar Named Desire (Insecurity Struggle, Inability to let go of the past) and Things Fall Apart (Identity Fading Struggle). You should also cover both Prose and Drama as well if you don't already do this.

Protip: Make notes in the actual book and on peices of paper where struggle is most evident, note down what type of struggle as well and note down the quote(s) that show this and memorise them as best as you can. Also I tackled the Assessment Objective in order an 'sprinkled' Context wherever I felt it fit.


What do you mean; tackled assessment objectives in order, what was the order? Great help by the way, thanks.
Original post by JackJack
What do you mean; tackled assessment objectives in order, what was the order? Great help by the way, thanks.


Paragraph on A01 (+A04 if it fit)
Paragraph on A02 (+A04 if it fit)
As many paragraphs as wider reading I could remember for A03 (+A04 if it)
Conclusion (which is what you've written for A01 and A02) condensed

BTW this is mainly a guide for Section A because you get marked more on A04 in it, but can also be modified for the poetry section.
Reply 14
I really recommend A Streetcar Named Desire, because you can always compare the unseen extract in terms of dramatic form, which is very easy to analyse in Streetcar. For example, unless the extract is a drama text, it is unlikely to make us of dramatic form (props/lighting/costume), so you can easily show a difference between the extract and your wider reading. :smile:

But, really, as long as you focus on the context of the extract and your wider reading, and balance your argument with reference to form, structure and language ('the extract is reflective of literature about the struggle for identity, as it uses similar language ...', 'on the other hand, the extract is not reflective of literature about the struggle for identity, as its structure...'), you should be fine.
Reply 15
Original post by Patrick04
I really recommend A Streetcar Named Desire, because you can always compare the unseen extract in terms of dramatic form, which is very easy to analyse in Streetcar. For example, unless the extract is a drama text, it is unlikely to make us of dramatic form (props/lighting/costume), so you can easily show a difference between the extract and your wider reading. :smile:

But, really, as long as you focus on the context of the extract and your wider reading, and balance your argument with reference to form, structure and language ('the extract is reflective of literature about the struggle for identity, as it uses similar language ...', 'on the other hand, the extract is not reflective of literature about the struggle for identity, as its structure...'), you should be fine.


I'll try and read that definitely. Also, can I ask, how do you get 27 marks on the historical context bit? Is it good to mention like how readers of the time would respond differently to today, writer's intentions and alternative viewpoints?

Also, never knew we had to say about the extract not be reflective of the struggle for identity, can you give an example of how that's to be? So how something may not represent a struggle please.
Original post by JackJack
I'll try and read that definitely. Also, can I ask, how do you get 27 marks on the historical context bit? Is it good to mention like how readers of the time would respond differently to today, writer's intentions and alternative viewpoints?

Also, never knew we had to say about the extract not be reflective of the struggle for identity, can you give an example of how that's to be? So how something may not represent a struggle please.


Yes it is good to mention that, and if I'm not mistaken it counts towards context marks
Reply 17
What exactly do I have to talk about in social/history as that carries 27 marks, so what do I have to talk about exactly with regards to historical context to get those 27 marks?

And what do you mean by 'does not show struggle for identity', what would you have to say for example?

Thanks once again.
(edited 11 years ago)
Original post by JackJack
What exactly do I have to talk about in social/history as that carries 27 marks, so what do I have to talk about exactly with regards to historical context to get those 27 marks?


I had a couple of go to ones that I'd use.
e.g. Racial struggle pre-1970s - Civil Rights Movement, then I talked about how typical it was of other CRM texts, mainly would compare to "I Have A Dream" or just refer to more violent texts by people such as Malcolm X.
Reply 19
Original post by King James
I had a couple of go to ones that I'd use.
e.g. Racial struggle pre-1970s - Civil Rights Movement, then I talked about how typical it was of other CRM texts, mainly would compare to "I Have A Dream" or just refer to more violent texts by people such as Malcolm X.


I thought comparison was between extract and wider reading though, and not wider reading compared with wider reading?

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